Italian Cinema Today

"I have an innate passion for human relationships, and how people manifest emotions, reactions and feelings."  Those words come from Italian filmmaker, Maria Sole Tognazzi. Born in 1971, she grew up surrounded by cinema.  She is the daughter of legendary comedy actor, Ugo Tognazzi, one of the most prominent characters of the "Commedia all'Italiana".  Maria Sole is the youngest of four children and took a different path than her siblings. Unlike her brothers, Gianmarco, Ricky and Thomas, all successful actors, Maria prefers to stay behind the camera.  She started her career by working as an assistant director and made a series of video clips and a short film, Non finisce qui . Her follow up to that film, C'ero anch'io,  set the foundation for her first feature-length film, the ensemble comedy, Passato prossimo . The all-star cast includes her brother, Gianmarco along with Paola Cortellesi, Valentina Cervi, Pierfrancesco Fav...

Margherita Buy (L) and Sabrina Ferilli at the 2015 Rome premiere of Io e Lei She has been a fixture in Italian cinema for decades with an impressive range that has landed her in all kinds of zany predicaments. Whether she's discovering the secret life of her deceased husband, dealing with a coming-of-age-daughter or struggling with the effects of a depressed economy, Margherita Buy's strong presence and command of her roles makes her a spell-binding leading lady. Born on January 15, 1962 in the Eternal City, Buy studied her craft at Rome's Academy of Dramatic Arts Silvio D'Amico. That's where she met her future husband and lifelong collaborator, Sergio Rubini. The two made a number of successful films together, including Tutto l'amore che c'e , L'amore ritorna and L'uomo nero . Although their marriage didn't work out, the two have remained close friends and continue to work together.     Buy has been making movies since the mid-80...

Update May 23, 2016 Io e lei is headed to two North American film festivals and will be shown on the following dates: Open Roads: New Italian Cinema at Lincoln Center Thursday, June 2 at 6:00 followed by Q&A with director Maria Sole Tognazzi Tuesday, June 7 at 1:30 Buy Tickets Canada's Italian Contemporary Film Festival June 10 @ 9:30pm TIFF - Toronto June 14 @ 7:00pm Cinematheque Quebecois - Montreal June 14 @ 5:00pm Cinema Cartier - Quebec City Buy Tickets With three high-profile Italian releases, Maria Sole Tognazzi's latest film, Io e lei took top spot at Italy's box office over the weekend, grossing a whopping 700,000 euros. Io e lei is the story of two women in a relationship together, a relationship that is tumultuous at times and carefree at others. Margherita Buy and Sabrina Ferilli portray lovers, Federica and Marina in a way that puts love first and the fact that it's a same-sex relationship second. The two actresses have made ...

On Day 2 of our week-long series, 7 Days - 7 Women, in which we are profiling seven strong, talented women working as filmmakers, writers or visual artists, we take a look at the career of film director, Maria Sole Tognazzi. Born in 1971, Tognazzi is no stranger to the entertainment industry. Her father is the legendary comedy actor, Ugo Tognazzi, who was one of the most prominent players in the Commedia all'Italiana genre of Italian cinema. Maria Sole Tognazzi is the youngest of four children and took a slightly different path than her siblings. Unlike her brothers, Gianmarco and Ricky, who are both successful actors in Italy, Maria prefers to stay behind the camera.   She started her career by working as an assistant director, and made a series of video clips that poised her for the debut of her first short film in the late 90's, Non finisce qui .  Her follow up to that film, C'ero anch'io set the foundation for her first feature-length film, the e...